Sweet Dreams are Made of This
by BevellaClearlyNotKnown
Summary: Alternate Interpretation of final events. Stays faithful til very end. Branches into original story. Please enjoy! Babydoll/High Roller. Rating upped to 'M' for violence and sexual situations. First SP fanfic. Please R/R. Formerly titled "Safety and Freedom" Fluffy and ridiculously romantic.
1. Tomorrow Never Knows

A/N : Ah… if I owned Sucker Punch, I'd be Zach Snyder.

* * *

><p>Babydoll strained and stretched, feeling along underneath the drawer, her fingers grazing the surface, desperately reaching for the knife, the 3rd item they had needed. Even as she did this, Blue's husky voice breathed in her ear, "What? What? Did you lose your fight? Hmm?"<p>

AT last! She grasped the handle, as she drew it out she spoke, strength flooding her veins,

"No. I just found it." At this she wrenched the knife free, and drove it into Blue's neck, reveling in the gasp he let out, and jumped away from her, hand leaping to his neck, the blood flowing like water, between his fingers, he looked at her in shock as she put her foot to his chest,

"You'll never have me." She shoved him away, and he hit the wall, and fell silent.

She grabbed the key from his neck, and then retrieved the lighter and map from beneath the drawer, gave him a last glance, and ran from the room.

Blue laid there in shock, Babydoll had just stabbed him! Was he dying? He tried to shout out, but couldn't find his voice. He heard footsteps, it was C.J. "Hurry you idiot! It was Babydoll, she got my key, and had the photocopy of my map!" he found his voice, yelling hoarsely to C.J. happy to see shock cross his features,

"Yes sir!" he shouted for the other bouncer, Danforth, and repeated what Blue had said. Danforth nodded and ran after Babydoll. C.J. helped Blue to his feet, blood still escaping the wound.

"Get me to a doctor you fool!" he said angrily, feeling a bit weak from blood loss, and C.J. helped him out the door.

* * *

><p>Babydoll ran to the supply closet, her hands shaking as she fitted the key into the lock, and she pulled the door open,<p>

Sweet Pea looked up, eyes still wet with tears for Rocket, and seeing Babydoll, she spoke quickly,

"What's happened? Where-?" Babydoll interrupted her,

"It's just us now, we've got to hurry." She pulled Sweet Pea to her feet, grabbed a bottle of cleaning fluid, stuck a cloth into it, and quickly held the lighter to it, then threw it back into the closet, and flames started growing.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." Babydoll said, shaking Sweet Pea from her reverie.

They ran down the hall, unlocked the secondary gate, and crouched, waiting for the fire alarm to unlock the main door.

"Wait for it…" whispered Babydoll,

* * *

><p>C.J. hurried down the hall, hoping he was going the direction Babydoll had taken, when the supply closet caught his eye, it was ON FIRE! He rushed to grab the fire extinguisher, and snapped the fire alarm down. The alarm began sounding, and he hurried to put out the fire, but it was too out of control, thanks to all the crazy combination of cleaning chemicals and supplies inside.<p>

* * *

><p>The fire alarms began sounding, and the Main door buzzed, the lock sliding back, and Babydoll and Sweet Pea hurriedly crawled past the guard's desk, and ran for the outer door. They got outside and turned to the courtyard. There were about 6 men pacing around, and talking.<p>

Babydoll and Sweet Pea crouched down behind the planter, "Dammit!" swore Babydoll,

"We did everything right! How can this be?" said Sweet Pea in a hushed voice.

"Map, fire, knife, key, and one thing more. One thing more….it's me. Of course it's me." Babydoll murmured softly.

"What are you talking about? You? There is no fifth item!" Sweet Pea protested.

"No, it's me, it makes sense. You've always been the strongest. You're only one of us who could have made it out there. You escaping, you living for all of us, that's how we win. It's got to be you. I'll go out there and distract the guards, and you have to run." She finished, her voice growing strong near the end.

"What? No!" Sweet Pea grabbed her wrist, but Babydoll shook her off and held her hand, putting the key in it, and folded it closed. "Yes, go. Go home; tell your mother what Rocket said. Live life, fall in love. Go." She rose up, and walked out into the courtyard, staring the first man down.

"Hey baby where you going?" the first said,

"You deaf or somethin'?" said the second,

She walked up to the first and kicked him in the groin. She saw Sweet Pea go out the gate and looked at her; Babydoll blinked, and looked back to the man.

She saw his fist coming towards her, and then there was darkness.

* * *

><p>Sweet Pea closed the gate quietly, looked back at Babydoll one last time, memorizing her face, and then turned and ran, ran for Rocket, ran for Amber, for Blondie, and for Babydoll. She ran and never looked back.<p>

* * *

><p>Someone was touching her face with a wet cloth. Babydoll opened her eyes, 'Ouch.' The left side of her face hurt like a freight train had hit it. That was pretty close to the truth. The thugs who had attacked her had lost at their poker game with the High Roller and decided to take it out on her. Danforth had found her, taken care of the thugs, and brought her straight to room #5. The High Roller had been waiting there nearly 10 minutes, but he took one look at Babydoll, who lay crumpled in Danforth's arms, and had sent for his two companions, who quickly began nursing Babydoll's various cuts and bruises. Luckily that had been all the injury she had suffered.<p>

She sat up gingerly, and looked around; the room was mostly a deep red, with stained glass windows and gold lamps. "Ah. There you are. You gave us quite a scare you know." a deep voice intoned.

She glanced over to see the High Roller, a handsome dark haired man, wearing a white suit, and holding a half empty glass of what appeared to be whiskey.

"Where am I?" Babydoll asked quietly.

"You're safe, for now." He said, looking carefully at her, trying to reassure her with just a look. She sat up further, and eyed the two women dressed in white, they were the ones she'd felt dabbing at her face, and they seemed to have removed her stockings and shoes.

"I don't know how to put this delicately, so I will spare you the insult of being vague, but you and I are supposed to…" he broke off, watching her face, and she finished the sentence for him.

"Screw? Fuck? There isn't really a nice way to put it you know. It's my duty, or my job." She said boldly.

He shook his head quickly, "That's not the way I would have put it actually. I have no intention of simply forcing you into anything, I can think of nothing more offensive, especially after what you just went through." He stood, and the two ladies in white removed his coat, and after a nod from him, departed and shut the door.

He walked over to her, and sat down at the very foot of the bed, keeping as far away as possible she supposed.

"I have indeed paid a small fortune to get you in this gilded cage, as it were, but-"

She interrupted him, "I don't care what you paid, I'm not going to lie to you, because you seem really nice, but..." at this, it was his turn to interrupt her; he leaned forward and gently placed a finger to her lips, stopping her. They felt like silk, and he resisted the urge to touch her further, wanting to say what he knew she needed to hear.

"I am what you would call the man who has everything, yet I lack the one thing money can't buy." He said gently.

Babydoll grasped his hand, noticing how warm it felt, and she impulsively kissed it, and set it back on his knee.

"Love?" she said coyly.

He smiled, and shook his head slowly, "Close, but truth is more accurate. I seek a moment of truth, in this world of lies. I seek that rare glimpse of what life could be like, if everyone around me stopped acting. The only person that can give me that is an authentic being, a non-actor. That person is you. Whatever you may be, I know you're not fake." At this he sat up and moved closer to her, placing a hand on her cheek.

She stilled under his hand, simply relishing the feeling of it. He brushed her white blond bangs out of her face, and she looked up into his eyes, as he spoke again, "I don't want this to be me taking you by force, I want you to give to me willingly, by your choice, for one moment, a moment of truth, that I can only know if you choose this. In you, there exists a spark of truth, and that you, the real you, I will never know, but that is precisely what I want. Rather than taking you by force, I want this to be simply as a man and a woman." She covered his hand with her own, smaller one, and spoke quietly, "I do. I choose this. Don't worry about hurting me."

He sighed, and closed his eyes briefly, then looked back at her, "For such a gem, I shall give as well. I can give you freedom. Pure and total freedom. Freedom from the drudgery of everyday life, freedom as abstract ideal. Freedom from loss, from sadness. Freedom from pain, from regret. Freedom from guilt, the freedom to be happy."

He leaned forward and just barely touched his lips to hers. Babydoll sighed, and pressed into him, kissing him strongly, and pulling his tie off in one move. He murmured words of encouragement, and she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, and put her arms around his neck, she leaned back and pulled him with her, and began to close her eyes, he spoke again,

"Don't close your eyes; I need you to look at me. The freedom to love." He said, almost in a whisper, as his lips ghosted over hers.

She sighed against his mouth, and ran her fingers through his hair, to the nape of his neck, and she knew he could feel how her hands trembled.

He kissed her again, and she could feel his hands gently sliding down her arms, caressing her. She couldn't help herself, and she blinked.

* * *

><p>She opened her eyes, the gray room swam around her, the smell of antiseptic in the air, a tall man with glasses stood right in front of her, his hand holding a silver spike coming closer to her eye, and he pulled the hammer back…<p>

"Doctor! STOP!" Vera Gorski's voice rang out, startling Dr. Isaacs. He pulled back from the patient, the beautiful blonde girl they called Jamie. "What is it? Can't you see I'm in the middle of the procedure?" he said impatiently. Vera walked towards him swiftly, holding the clipboard with the authorization papers, "Look! That orderly Jones has forged my signature! If she hadn't caused him to be so near death he'd never have confessed! And I would never have known about this until that poor girl was a vegetable." She shoved the clipboard in his face, and he glanced down it.

"Do you mean to tell me you didn't authorize this?" his voice was shaking, he was slightly relieved he had been stopped. The look that girl had given him, like she was begging him to do it, had shook him to his core.

He glanced back at her, she was sitting serenely in the chair, but then she looked up at him, her brown eyes piercing his grey ones,

"What's going on? Am I not sick?" she asked in a quiet voice, which held none of the courage her face had held moments ago. He shook his head quickly, "No, there's nothing wrong with you at all. Nurse! Undo those braces!" he said sharply to the idiotic looking woman to his left. She hurried forward and starting to undo the straps holding the poor girl to the chair. He turned back to Madame Gorski, "Please continue."

She nodded furiously, "That orderly was responsible for all this nonsense! He killed two other patients, girls that this one here, Jamie, had grown close too, no wonder she tried to stop him when he was bringing her here. He attacked her and tried to rape her, when she grabbed a knife and stabbed his arm. If she hadn't done that, she might be dead already. I've already called the police and they're going to put him away for a long time." She paused for breath, and he took over,

"This girl, Jamie, needs to go through some careful therapy, but there's no need for anything this drastic, and she oughtn't even be in a place like this. Honestly, with your orderlies acting the way they do, I wouldn't be surprised if any other girls had been treated for this when all it was caused by abuse."

He finished angrily, giving Vera a hard stare, and she wilted under his gaze, nodded, and left the room quickly, and the nurse followed her. Dr. Isaacs walked over to the patient, who still sat in the chair, looking rather dazed.

"Are you alright Miss? I really don't know what to say, I've seen many tortured souls in here, and always wondered if this was the right thing to do. Now I know sometimes there's more to things than meet the eye." He held out his hand to the girl, and she looked carefully at it, before taking it.

"Thank-you. I'm alright; I just had the strangest dream before. You were there, and you said I would be free. Now I guess I really will be." She said softly, before suddenly tears formed in her dark, sad eyes.

She started sobbing earnestly, and he pulled her close, holding her carefully, as though she were a fragile doll. "Everything will be alright now. You're safe."

* * *

><p>The End?<p>

A/N: This is my first Sucker Punch story, after reading many others I was inspired to change the ending a bit, and give Babydoll a better happy ending. Should I continue? R/R :)


	2. This is Where I Belong

_A/N: Thank you dear reviewer! Here is the next chapter, it sorta shows the direction this story is going… but of course you never know for sure ;)_

_A/N 2: to explain the two names, Babydoll *is* Jamie, but sticks with her nickname as it's comforting, but the Dr. calls her Jamie. Just for clarification...  
><em>

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next 4 months many changes occurred in Babydoll's life. Most notably;<p>

Her Stepfather was charged and found guilty of the murder of her mother, and her sister, thus clearing her own name, and he was sent to a high security prison, and this ensured he would never harm Babydoll again.

The former orderly known as 'Blue' Jones, was also arrested and found guilty of several counts of sexual harassment and abuse on many patients of Lennox House Asylum, and put away in jail.

Babydoll was cleared of all charges, declared sane, and found guilty of nothing but merely being tortured mentally and physically by 'Blue' Jones. She was recommended to be taken under the wing of a kind and caring guardian, however as she had no living relatives, and Vera Gorski was unqualified, having all the shenanigans occur during her post at Lennox House, the only logical choice turned out to be the former Dr. Isaacs.

After what happened with Babydoll, he had gone through a serious period of careful thinking and considering, and finally decided to retire. Not long after, he was contacted by Boston's most elite high school to consider the position of biology professor. He was more than qualified, and happily accepted.

A month after settling in at his new job, and also new home, close to the outskirts of the city, he got a phone call…

* * *

><p>'At last!' Mark Isaacs thought, 'Friday has arrived.' He turned off the engine of his automobile, and quickly exited the vehicle, as soon as he shut the door, and turned toward the sidewalk, a simply intoxicating smell currently began working its way through his nose as he started walking up the front walk. He stopped to retrieve his ring of keys, quickly flicking through them, and unlocked the front door, the scent growing more intense as he stepped inside.<p>

A delightfully musical voice called out from the kitchen, "Welcome home! I made you something!" He smiled, and set his briefcase down and set the keys in a ceramic dish on top of the kitchen counter. She looked up at him, and brushed her bangs out of her face, smudging flour on her cheek, thus making her look the complete image of domesticity.

"And what did you make me? It smells absolutely divine." He asked with a smile. Since Babydoll, or Jamie, as she was called now, had arrived at his abode, she had insisted on earning her keep by cooking or cleaning whenever needed. She also had plenty of free time to read up on and learn new recipes, as he only knew how to make basics such as macaroni and cheese, or oatmeal. The former doctor, now professor, walked around the counter and looked at her handiwork. There was a tin of freshly baked muffins straight from the oven as evidenced by the cooling rack they sat upon. They appeared to contain chocolate chips, and some sort of glaze was drizzled on top.

Jamie took off her oven mitts and turned to Mark with a smile,

"These are chocolate chip oatmeal muffins, with a honey and vanilla glaze. Oh, and there's also cinnamon in the mix, that's probably what you smell." She gestured around the kitchen at the various containers and spices. "I was experimenting a bit, the recipe was technically for savory muffins, to accompany a breakfast of eggs and bacon, but I thought hey, why not make them into a dessert?" she finished, and held one out to him.

He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Now that he knew the ingredients, he could pick out the scents of vanilla and chocolate as well. 'Come to think of it, Jamie usually smelled a bit like these muffins.' He thought to himself, and quickly demolished the muffin.

"Whoa now," she said with a giggle, "You don't want to spoil your dinner." She gave his arm a gentle push, and he obediently exited the kitchen, to let her finish cleaning up, and presumably begin dinner.

"And how were your classes today professor?" she asked, as she turned to begin washing her baking dishes.

He told her about his day, leaving out the moment when he'd wondered what she had been doing while he'd sat and graded papers at lunchtime. Though she was technically his ward, and he was doing the best job of caring for her, nurturing her back to a healthy state, physically and mentally, he still found himself thinking about how perfect she had felt in his arms, that dark day after he'd almost taken away her soul. That's how he saw the horrible business of lobotomies now that he had taken a step back, and reevaluated his former career. No matter what a person had done, that was truly a fate worse than death.

She had felt just like a doll in his arms, fragile, delicate, and he understood why the others had nicknamed her 'Babydoll'. She had the porcelain skin, and silky white blonde hair, yet something in her eyes suggested there was an inner strength to her that not many had seen.

Since leaving Lennox House, she had grown stronger physically, with plenty of sleep, and proper nourishment, and she even managed to get a bit of sun when she worked in the garden.

He had had a greenhouse built specifically for her to spend time that she wished to be alone in. He knew the house could grow stuffy and confining, and plus he was always there, the greenhouse provided a shelter and creative outlet, she did have a talent for many things besides cooking, and she was happy to show them off now that she was safe from her Stepfather, and any form of abuse.

The greenhouse was full of mostly roses and other flowers, but Mark had made sure there were some cooking herbs planted as well. It meant both sides of her creativity were grown together.

He shook himself, coming back to the present, as Jamie had said something that he, lost in his thoughts and reminiscing, had missed.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked with a sheepish smile, he knew he'd been caught.

Jamie smiled angelically at him,

"I was just wondering what kind of dressing you would prefer on the salad? I could whip up a quick Italian vinaigrette, or we could use that new stuff you got, ranch or something?" she asked, and he quickly answered,

"I don't want you to have to do more work, I'm sure your most likely tired of cooking, let's try that newfangled Ranch." He said, walking over to the refrigerator and pulling it out from the side shelf. She gave him a slight nudge on his shoulder, and a mock frown, she didn't like it when he invaded her territory, namely the kitchen.

They ate in silence, Mark going over the day's homework, and possible lesson for the next week, and Jamie was considering asking Mark if they might go into town, and possibly visit the cinema.

The usual schedule was Mark spent all day at school teaching, came home at around 4:30pm, and greeted Jamie, then headed directly to his study, while she began dinner. Jamie spent the day reading, or gardening, and usually learning a new recipe to surprise Mark. Today had been slightly different, as the scent of her baking had distracted him from proceeding to his own 'homework'. She had been delighted he had stuck around to watch her make dinner. She felt very at home in his house, and wished dearly she could stay forever, but according to the terms of the arrangement, she was only to stay until she turned 21, and then she would need to find a job, and after saving enough money, begin looking for her own place. Temporary as the arrangement was, it was quite comforting to always be around the one person who understood what she had been through. Babydoll also felt a deeper connection to Dr.—No, Professor Isaacs, after the way he'd been portrayed in the dream (or whatever it was) she had had before her lobotomy had almost taken place. It was an emotional connection, and could be viewed as dangerous to an outsider, a young woman of 20 living with a mature gentleman of 34. But any prying eyes who asked were quickly informed he was her only living guardian and caregiver, regardless of his or her age, and after hearing all that she had been through, any doubts were shut up.

Babydoll was growing slightly anxious, as her 21st birthday was only six months away, and she wasn't sure she would be ready to leave her haven. She felt her mind had healed well, and she wasn't afraid of venturing outside like she had been for the first week after leaving Lennox House, but she was still wary of going anywhere unaccompanied. 'Unaccompanied by Mr. Isaacs,' she added mentally.

The change in his monotonous routine was in fact more than just from the cause of her cooking distraction.

Mark had been working up the courage all week to ask Jamie about spending some time together, not as patient and therapist or as ward and guardian, but as friends. He had seen all the progress she had made, and though she didn't know, he also was dreading her upcoming birthday.

He hated himself for feeling it, and he knew it would be quite right of her to reject him if he voiced his feelings, but he wanted, he yearned, to be the One. The One who would heal her completely, by loving her every moment of the rest of her life. Her psyche had been damaged by a truly evil man, and he wanted to be the ray of sunlight to fix it. He knew deep down, in a hidden place, she probably didn't trust even him. He wanted to prove to her that she could, but he was at a loss as to how.

All these thoughts swirled through his mind as he ate, and then Jamie caught his blank stare, and he blinked.

"Well? What do you think of dinner?" she asked with a soft smile, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity.

Mark smiled warmly, "It's wonderful, you've outdone yourself, as you always do. I spend all day dealing with wild children, and you spend all day learning new culinary skills. Why wouldn't it be perfect?" at this high praise, a lovely blush appeared on Jamie's cheeks.

Babydoll's mind raced, 'Perfect? He thinks I'm perfect', she scolded herself, 'No you ninny, he meant the cooking was perfect!' she smiled and thanked him.

Later that evening, he sat reading the paper, and heard Jamie puttering around in the kitchen, "Making more food?" he asked teasingly.

He heard her laugh quietly, "No, just preparing a midnight snack for you."

He glanced at his watch, '9:52?'

"It's hardly time for that." He said with a smile, lowering the paper, and Jamie came into view, she held a cup of what smelled like fresh coffee, and a small plate with 3 of the chocolate oatmeal muffins.

He gratefully accepted them, and caught her hand, and held it to his mouth, kissing it gently, then he let go.

"Thank-you, for all that you do." He said, and her breath escaped her.

The feel of his lips on her hand had sent a feeling akin to a spark through her, and then it had settled near her stomach.

She smiled at him, and said goodnight. Deciding she would ask him about a trip into town in the morning. Perhaps a good night's sleep would knock the ridiculous notion out of her mind.

As Babydoll got ready for bed, she went over the moment Mark had kissed her hand in her mind. It was strangely familiar, like déjà vu. In her dream so long ago, he had once kissed her, he had kissed her lips, and she had felt a burn like a fire in the bottom of her stomach. In the dream she had kissed him, and felt like she was in Paradise. Could it be possible to find it for real?

She slipped under the sheets, and quickly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Meanwhile, Mark was wrestling with himself. 'Should I ask her? Formally? It wouldn't really be a date, more like….oh who am I kidding? I want to spend time with her. I should just ask her to accompany me to the grocery store, and if she accepts, I'll go from there.'

Grocery shopping was innocent enough right?

_ A/N: I know there was sort of an emotional deluge from both folks, but it's got to be 'splained. Isn't it interesting to see though? :) also, many apologies to any folks who see similarities to this story and "I could live here forever" this was sort of inspired by that, and it does have similar elements, but I assure you, has its very own different direction._


	3. Catch Me

_A/N: here's the next chap, things get a bit rolling here._

* * *

><p>Eventually Mark worked up the courage to ask Jamie to go with him to the store, promising she could spend as much time as she wished perusing.<p>

Babydoll was relieved he had asked her, as she hadn't been sure if she would ever be able to bring it up, but this had to be a sign. She walked among the aisles, admiring the neatness of everything, and she especially loved looking at the spices and herbs of the baking aisle. She had most of the basics in her little garden; basil, rosemary, saffron, but the more exotic spices were all here. Tarragon, Spearmint, Coriander, and Fennel. She was also in need of some more Vanilla extract, as she seemed to go through it faster than anything.

She gathered what she wished to purchase, or rather, ask Professor Isaacs to buy for her, and went to find him.

He was standing in the dairy section, examining the yogurts, but looked up when he heard her approach. He smiled, and pushed up his black rimmed glasses, giving him the appearance of a younger, more vulnerable man. Babydoll held out her basket,

"What do you think? Are these alright?" she asked tentatively, and she pointed out each item and how it could be used, and he held up a hand,

"Whoa now, you've got to have some secrets, or soon I will be able to predict what you're making by what spice you use." He said with a playful grin, knowing that was pure bunk, he could no sooner predict what she was going to cook than predict her thoughts.

Babydoll smiled and nodded,

"Does that mean I can get all these?" she asked, and he nodded swiftly,

"Of course, now, which yogurt do you think I should get?" he gestured towards the bountiful selection.

She merely shrugged, and said

"Just get plain, then you can add fresh fruits or as much sugar as you want, the pre-flavored ones give no option for creativity." He looked thoughtful, and then spoke,

"You sound like you want to start experimenting with my yogurt now." He gave a smile to show he was just teasing, this playful and teasing side of him only seemed to emerge around Jamie. When he was with his students, all he could feel was exasperation, they seemed to be endlessly unwilling to learn, or absorb knowledge of any sort. Jamie only seemed to want to learn, the rate she absorbed books was a clear sign of this. He wondered if she would like to visit the nearby bookstore, and voiced this thought to her.

Her lovely face lit up and she nodded vigorously, causing a strand of her white blond hair to escape her neat braid. He resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear, and suggested they head for the checkout.

He quickly grabbed a container of plain yogurt and placed it in her basket, as he deftly took it from her, she gave him a smile, and a gentle shove,

"You don't think I'm strong enough to carry the basket now?" Babydoll actually couldn't have minded less, Mark's gentlemanly acts like that always made her appreciate him so much more. And when he had asked her if she wanted to visit a bookstore, she had felt elated. She couldn't remember the last time she visited a library or bookstore of any sort. Her last few weeks at home had been spent mostly at her sick mother's bedside, worrying that every breath was her last.

She shook herself, that line of thought only led to sadness.

An hour later, she had walked through the entire bookstore, memorized every aisle and the genre of books it held, and she had a smile that didn't seem to fade.

Mark was standing in the medical section, examining a book that covered the next weeks topic for class, when Jamie came up to him, her face aglow,

"Can I try to get a job here?" she asked, her voice holding a trace of excitement.

He smiled at her,

"Of course, if that's what you wish. I can go ask for an application for you if you'd like," at this she shook her head, though the smile didn't fade,

"Nonsense, I'm nearly 21, I can ask for it by myself," she patted his arm and turned to go find the front desk.

He smiled sadly as she walked away. If she got a job here, she'd be halfway gone from him. He knew he couldn't hold her back, but he didn't want to lose her, even though a job like this would be a wonderful step for her, she'd be around something she loved, and surrounded by people with the same love.

Babydoll walked, and tried not to run, over to the front desk, and quietly asked if they had any job openings, the lady behind the desk was a plump brunette, who looked as if she spent lots of time around books, she looked up at Babydoll and smiled,

"Why of course my dear, for you, we've got just the thing, you could organize and shelve new books as they come in, and," she leaned forward and said in a whisper, "You could easily take a peek through them and set any that you like aside…" she sat back with a smile.

Babydoll took the paper the lady held out, and told her she could start in about a month. The lady smiled and thanked her.

Babydoll walked back over to where Mark was still reading, or at least pretending to. "Guess what? They have a position that would be perfect for me!" she said excitedly, holding up the application.

Mark smiled, Jamie looked happier than he'd ever seen her, on her a smile made her look more like a doll, or an angel. Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she told him about what the job entailed, it did sound perfect for her, and she'd be working around books but wouldn't need to be bothered by too many people.

She also told him about how the lady had said she could pick out any new book that intrigued her, and he knew she'd be coming home with her arms filled with tomes.

"That's wonderful, I'm glad it was as easy as coming here, if I'd known, I'd have brought you sooner." He said with a smile, though deep down he was lying to her and himself. If he'd known how quickly she'd have taken her first step away from him, he'd have avoided this place like the plague. But he also knew eventually she would have asked about going out to someplace like this anyway.

* * *

><p>As they walked out of the bookshop, Babydoll turned to Mark,<p>

"Would it be alright, that is, might we have dinner out? I mean, I know we ought to get the groceries home, but I was wondering," she broke off, uncertain how to continue, as he was giving her a peculiar look, but he quickly rearranged his features,

"Why, Jamie of course, you deserve a night off from cooking, several in fact. From cooking." He stumbled over his words, that last part of the sentence could have easily held more than one meaning and he didn't want her to follow that line of thought. Did he?

Babydoll did her best not to blush as she caught the double meaning of his statement, she was certain he didn't mean it like that, but she couldn't help but picture it. After all, in that dream she had so long ago, things had almost progressed there. Of course, that was just that, a dream. Slim to none chance of ever happening.

"Thanks, where do you think we could go?" she asked, she didn't really know what his favorite kind of food was, she usually just made Italian or basic American foods.

Mark was unsure, he knew there was a nice place a few blocks away, but it was also rather quiet and might seem too romantic. He suggested they take the groceries home and decide after they'd cleaned up a bit.

Babydoll paced around her room, 'What do you wear for dinner with, your guardian? Your therapist? Your friend? Your ridiculously handsome guardian?'

She eventually decided on a yellow summer dress, with small pink flowers here and there in the print. She left her hair down, in a lovely white gold waterfall down her back. Slipping on some plain black flats, she stepped outside her door, to see Mark sitting at the table, flipping through what appeared to be the yellow-pages.

"Find anything?" she asked as she walked towards him, he turned and saw her, pushing up his glasses, and his eyes widened before he could stop himself.

Jamie looked like a summer fairy of sorts, her hair fell unhindered onto her shoulders, and she had a lovely yellow dress with small blots of pink. 'Oh goodness, Mark what have you gotten yourself into?' he thought to himself, and tried to rearrange his face to a simple smile, instead of something that had resembled shock moments before.

He looked pretty nice himself, in just a simple white cotton shirt and tan slacks. Of course he also had those delightfully adorable glasses on. Babydoll seemed to have a certain weakness to them, she constantly had to resist the urge to pull them off and just kiss him for looking so bookish. They also helped him with his teacher look.

"I've been looking for something close, affordable, and interesting, and it seems the only thing is that Japanese place on Main Street. Is that okay with you?" he asked her, and she simply smiled and nodded.

"Well let's head out then." He grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter, and offered Jamie his arm, she accepted, slipping her smaller one through his.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, strolling along the sidewalk, his left arm was occupied with their box of leftovers, and his right arm still held hers. He was content to simply walk with her, relishing the feel of her warmth, but she spoke up,<p>

"Thank you so much for dinner Mark, I had a nice time, I don't think I'd ever had such strange food before!" she let out a giggle as she said this. She remembered the look that appeared on his face when he had accidentally eaten a spicy tuna roll, thinking it was a mild one, picturing this sent her into a fit of giggles, and he gave her a curious look.

"Well you're welcome, of course, and I hope you're not laughing at me…" he said teasingly, nudging her gently and then he felt her shake with silent laughter.

"Oh, I see how it is." He pulled his arm out from hers and stopped, huffing and crossing his arms in mock insult. Babydoll turned back to see him there, looking for all the world like an overgrown petulant child.

She stepped up to him, and pushed his glasses up for him, "Now can you see? You're pretty silly for someone who spends all day educating teenagers. Then again, perhaps some of their character has rubbed off on you." She said with a smile.

His heart seemed to slow down, and speed up all at once, because she had almost touched him. Her soft lips seemed to call out to him, as she stood there right in front of him. He sighed,

"We should be getting home, it's late and I've got work to do tomorrow." He said quietly.

She nodded slowly, afraid of what she'd nearly done. If he'd kept looking at her like that, she might have leaned up and kissed him.

* * *

><p>The next morning he let Jamie sleep in, she deserved some quiet time after their long day yesterday. He passed her room, and couldn't stop himself from looking in on her, 'Just to make sure she's alright' he told himself, and there she was. Lying with her arms folded across her waist, her hair spilled across the pillow like waves of silk. Her chest gently rose and fell with each breath she took, and he found himself hypnotized. Her eyes fluttered, and he quickly backed out and shut the door as quietly as he could.<p>

What would she think of him watching her sleep? It certainly wasn't something he should be doing, considering the precarious nature of their relationship. He walked swiftly to the kitchen and began cooking some oatmeal, one of the few things he could make safely, without needing to worry about breaking anything.

He stirred it, and on a whim, shook some cinnamon into it, and then dished some out, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He sat down at the table, and pretended to read the paper, though he was really worrying that he had woke her up, and she'd come out and scold him for spying on her.

Babydoll had been having the strangest dream;

She had been running from something, down a dark alley, and then she abruptly stopped, having collided with someone. She looked up into the grey, pensive eyes of Dr. Isaacs. He quickly embraced her, and then pushed her behind him, turning to her pursuer and pulled out a handgun, training it on whoever had been following her. "Keep away from her, or I will end you." He said in a strong deep voice. She glanced around his shoulder to see a figure running swiftly back out the alley. She felt Mark turn around, and she spoke to him quietly, "Thank you. You saved me again." He smiled down at her, then pulled her close, "I could never live with myself if any harm came to you, I love you too much." Suddenly he was kissing her, his lips warm and firm against hers, and she started to feel lightheaded. Then a gentle thud woke her.

She opened her eyes to see the sun streaming through the blinds, she glanced over at the clock on her bedside table, it was nearly 10am! She sat up, her mind racing, was her dream some sort of projection of her feelings for Professor Isaacs? She felt completely silly, like some kind of schoolgirl with a crush. This was all nonsense! He was her caregiver, her guardian! And here she was, dreaming that he would rescue her and then kiss her breathless.

She dressed quickly and went out to the kitchen, the smell of cinnamon and oats bewitching her senses. Mark was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and perusing the morning paper. "Well well well, you slept in a bit didn't you?" she said teasingly, and he looked up at her, seeming a bit startled,

"What? Oh, yes I suppose. I uh, made you some breakfast." He said sheepishly, knowing if she had cooked it would have been a near feast, and his culinary skills were severely lacking. She smiled warmly, and thanked him. She was pleasantly surprised by his efforts, she poured a glass of orange juice, and served herself a small bowl of the oatmeal, and then walked over to the table.

"Anyone sitting here?" she asked facetiously pointing to the chair nearest his. He gave her a grin, and shook his head.

It wasn't too bad, the cinnamon distracted from the fact he had used a bit too much water to oatmeal. She took a few bites and then asked him what his plans for the day were. He merely was going to stay at home and write out his next week's lesson plans, but he didn't really know if he could stay around her all day, she was driving him nearly insane.

"I just planned on working on some school stuff, but I may need to go out and fill the car up with gas, we did use a bit yesterday on our adventure," he said with a slight smile. She nodded and went back to eating.

Babydoll wasn't sure if she was making him uncomfortable, but his last statement sounded rather silly. They had driven into town sure, but then they had traveled by foot for the rest of the day, until driving home. She shrugged mentally; perhaps he had some things he merely wanted to do alone. That was fine with her; she had a new book to read, and new cooking spices to try out.

Mark set the paper down, after folding it carefully, and took his dishes to the sink, failing to see the second article in the news section, which loudly proclaimed, "Convicted Murderer 'Blue' Jones out on $50,000 bail, Mob connections suspected!"

Mark hadn't actually been reading the paper; otherwise he surely would have noticed that heading and might have thought twice about leaving Jamie at home.

He looked at her, sitting at the table, and he felt sincerely grateful he had been given her to care for. She did brighten up his otherwise bland life. He walked over to her, and put his hand on the back of her chair,

"I'll be home before dinnertime, I promise. Have a good day." He smiled down at her, and she gave him a returning smile,

"I'll plan something extra special for dinner then." She put her hand over his, squeezing it gently, then turned back to her breakfast.

As he walked to his car, he glanced at the sky, it looked rather stormy, perhaps it was good she would be inside, it wasn't a good day to be out gardening.

_A/N: uh-oh….things look stormy ahead. Hold on to your hats folks!_


	4. Stormy Weather

_A/N: here's chapter 4, next to last chapter, and I'm surprised at the views on the story, yet so few reviews. Please! Read and leave a review._

* * *

><p>A knock sounded on the front door, Babydoll looked up from her book, it was barely 2:30, and it couldn't possibly be Mark could it? She set her book down and walked slowly to the door, glancing out the window, all she could see was pouring rain. Perhaps Mark had forgotten something, and now she was making him stand out in pouring rain.<p>

She quickly unlocked the door, opening it in surprise, before she could slam it shut, a foot jammed in it, preventing its close.

"Hello Babydoll." A horribly familiar voice drawled. "How's things?" he asked, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Babydoll staggered back, 'How did Blue find her? How did he get out of jail?'

"What are you doing here?" she gasped out, as he walked swiftly towards her, grabbing her arm and squeezing it painfully.

"I came to take back my favorite toy, c'mon, you're coming with me." he growled, and yanked her outside, slamming the door behind them.

She quickly became soaked to the skin, and she looked up at the sky, it was an angry dark grey with dark blue clouds moving towards them.

Blue shoved her into the back of a waiting car, and then she felt a brush on the back of her head,

Then nothingness.

* * *

><p>Blue smiled, he couldn't believe how easy it had been to find her, all he had to do was look up the former Doctor, and find out where he had relocated to. Piece of cake. The doctor, now professor worked all day, and that left his sweet Babydoll at home all alone. Well now she wasn't alone. He had her all to himself.<p>

"Drive to the hotel." He told the driver gruffly. The mob had been happy to help him out, especially after all he'd provided for them from Lennox House. It had been a bit of work to get him out of jail with all the crap he'd been charged with, but they had worked it out in less than 5 months.

The driver quickly sped through traffic, arriving at Blue's hotel in less than an hour; he tossed him a bill, and told him to thank his employer.

He dragged Babydoll out of the backseat, she was still unconscious, but weighed as much as a feather. He carried her through the back door and up the stairs, and threw her over his shoulder as he rummaged for his key.

Babydoll was able to hear Blue muttering under his breath, but she didn't dare open her eyes. Her head was throbbing, he must hit her as she turned back to look at the house. She had had 4 months in Paradise, and now Blue had taken her back.

He finally got the door open, and stalked inside, slamming the door closed, locking it quickly, sealing the world out. He walked over to the shabby bed and dropped her onto it, still thinking she was out. Smiling to himself, he looked her over, she seemed to have gotten some sun, and wasn't quite as pale as he remembered, but then again, not much was the same. She'd been living with a man for the last few months, who knew what he'd done to her. He grabbed a glass of water from the bathroom and splashed it onto her face. She was still pretty wet from the rain, but this brought her around.

She blinked a couple times, and then scrambled up quickly, a look of horror beginning to spread across her face.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear. Babydoll felt like she'd been in this situation before, but it hadn't been with Blue, it'd been after getting away from him.

"You're with me baby. And oh the games we're gonna play." Blue said with a sneer, taking in her loveliness, which was especially apparent having been soaked through and through.

He stalked toward her, and traced his hand across her cheek, down to her neck to grip her shoulder painfully, if he wasn't careful, he could easily snap her delicate collarbone. She winced in pain, and he pulled her close,

"You're gonna do exactly as I say, or I will hurt you." He hissed in her ear, and then he captured her lips in a rough kiss. She tasted liquor on his tongue, and tried to pull away, but he grabbed her by the neck and she stilled.

His other hand traveled around her waist to her lower back, shadowing the same place Mark had gently held her less than 24 hours previous. His face appeared in her mind, and it gave her the strength to pull away from Blue, and then she quickly snapped her free hand to smack across his face with all her might.

He cried out and leap away from her, his face holding a snarl,

"You bitch! How dare you?" he yelled at her, and he came at her with an empty glass bottle he'd grabbed off the floor.

She ducked the blow, and ran to the window, opening it as fast as possible, and she screamed out into the night.

* * *

><p>Mark pulled up the house, and sensed something was wrong, no cheery light emanated from the house at all, not even just the kitchen. He rushed up the walk, and didn't even have to use his keys, the front door was unlocked, but Jamie would never have left it that way. He hurried inside, and found nothing, he quickly called out,<p>

"Jamie? Are you there? Hello?" his mind started racing, 'Where could she be? Had she run away? NO!' he scolded himself. They had been making such progress; she wouldn't have left like this. He flicked the lights on, the morning paper catching his eye. He rushed over to it, looking through it for anything, a sign, a clue to where she could be, and then he froze in horror, the headline of the news section screamed at him exactly where she was.

He dropped the paper and rushed to the telephone, dialing furiously.

* * *

><p>"Not much you don't!" Blue yelled at her, yanking her away from the window, pulling her to his face,<p>

"Think you're clever do you? If you think you're leaving in any way but in a body-bag, you're mistaken." He growled at her, smacking the side of her face. She collapsed to the floor, her mind racing, 'Surely someone had heard her, or even Mark would notice something was wrong. Oh poor Mark.' She thought.

Suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard from below, voices talking loudly, and then a banging the desk downstairs.

"Shit!" swore Blue,

"C'mon lets go." He pulled her with him as he grabbed a black bag from near the bedside, hurrying them out the door and down the hall.

As they were moving she heard the footsteps growing louder and Blue looked back, distracted, and Babydoll took her chance, wrenching her arm free from his iron grip, she ran to the stairs, and took them two at a time. She threw open the back door and rushed down the alleyway, rain obscuring her vision, but hopefully obscuring Blue's as well.

Through the rain, she saw only the end of the alleyway, she cried out in frustration, 'Was this how it was to end?' she thought desperately, and then she heard footsteps behind her, "I'm going to get you for this!" Blue's voice yelled out.

She turned to look for a way, anyway out, and ran into a soft object.

Arms quickly wrapped around her, and she looked up into Dr. Isaacs worried face.

"You're safe now." He told her, and she buried her face into his chest, as she heard policemen rush forward from the shadows to grab Blue.

"It'll be life for you this time Blue!" one of them said loudly, and quickly snapped handcuffs around his wrists, dragging him away from Babydoll and Mark.

"How did you find me?" she murmured against his chest, and she looked up at him, his face was grave,

"I came home to a dark, empty house, and took a good look at the paper, and knew immediately what must have happened." He said softly.

"I knew I had to find you, I couldn't lose you, not to this monster." She stifled a sob, and he began walking with her still in his arms.

"I'm so glad you came, I wasn't sure if I was going to able to get away from him."

Mark kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Let's get you home and dry."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Babydoll sat at the kitchen table, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, with a steaming mug of what smelled wonderfully like hot cocoa, and she felt infinitely better. The strange thing was, she hadn't been too worried throughout the whole thing, she had felt deep down Mark would find her, and rescue her, and he had! Not that the situation hadn't seemed desperate while she was being treated like a punching bag by Blue.<p>

Mark came out into the kitchen and watched Jamie carefully. She looked alright, though Blue had hit her a few times, it was something that merely needed time and not a bandage. She had been remarkably quiet on the ride home, preferring to merely lean on his shoulder as he drove. He walked over to her, patting her shoulder gently,

"Are you okay? Is there anything I can bring you?" he asked quietly, and she looked up at him, her big brown eyes wide,

"I'm fine, I just need some rest." She said softly.

"Very well. Do you want me to carry you or do you think you can walk?" he didn't mean that to sound as demeaning as it did, but she had been hit on the head, and he didn't want her collapsing on the way to her room.

Babydoll couldn't believe her ears; he would carry her if she wanted? Yes please. She nodded, and slowly stood, setting the empty mug down, and he carefully picked her up, she felt small and fragile in his arms, but wasn't heavy at all. It was rather like carrying a large pillow. She snuggled into his arms unconsciously, and he blushed.

She felt so good in his arms, and he could smell a faint scent of vanilla from her hair, even the harsh rain couldn't take away her lovely aura. He carried her to her room, trying to go as slow as possible, to maximize the time he could hold her.

Babydoll noticed he seemed to be walking with the speed of a turtle, but couldn't complain, she felt so safe in his arms, and hoped, wished, desperately that he would kiss her goodnight.

He reached the threshold, and his mind leapt, imagining if she was his, how it would feel to be carrying her to 'their' bed, with the prospect of a wonderful night ahead. He shook himself mentally, 'She's just gone through a terrible experience, and all you can think about is making love to her?'

Mark walked slowly to the bed, and set her down gently. He stepped back and turned for the door, already missing the feel of Jamie in his arms. She sat up halfway, and opened her mouth to say goodnight, when he turned back, and quickly leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Goodnight." He breathed, and he walked away, shutting the door softly.

She closed her eyes, and leaned back, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: WHEW! That was tough to write, I'm not too good with violence as you know, and it felt awful putting Babydoll through more crap, but Dr. Isaacs DID indeed come to her rescue. I dunno if you noticed, but her dream was premonition of this, slightly more emotional, but accurate. It's nothing paranormal, people have premonitory dreams sometimes, and no one knows why. But I would hazard to guess Babydoll is a bit sensitive to things going on than a regular person. R/R :)_


	5. Finding Paradise

_A/N: Hello all, we're nearing the end of the story, and I just want to say I've had a blast writing it, and find myself wishing the real story could have gone a happier way. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"Cheers!" Babydoll smiled, and held up her glass to clink it against Mark's. They were having dinner to celebrate her birthday, and the fact she'd been promoted at her job. It had been a lovely five months, spending nearly all her time around books, and Mark had had to learn some better cooking skills while she was at work. This was a bittersweet celebration, as it also meant Babydoll now had to begin saving earnestly for a place of her own, and also begin looking for one.<p>

Mark looked at Jamie, she sat there with a lovely smile on her face, after all this time, she'd truly healed and even after the disaster with Blue, she had grown stronger, and he knew she was capable of a great future. Perhaps someday she'd be able to attend a good college.

"It's quite a birthday you know, perhaps we should order some champagne to celebrate instead of just iced tea." he teased, and Jamie smiled sweetly,

"No thank you. I would like to be able to remember this night, not have it become a blur from overindulgence."

"Touché my dear," he said with a grin.

She rather looked like an angel, she wore a delicately printed white silk dress, and had woven light pink ribbons throughout her white blonde hair, and it was perfect on her. Her brown eyes sparkled as she chatted with him about her job, and he felt his heart break. This wonderful creature was going to be leaving his home, his world, and though he knew he could easily visit her, he doubted it would be prudent. What was he to do?

* * *

><p>Babydoll fumbled with her keys at the front door, she was slightly nervous, she didn't want to tell Mark she'd been apartment shopping, but she knew she had to. She'd been 21 for two weeks now, and had to be done. She walked inside, to see Mark sitting at the table, reading what appeared to be one of her latest books she'd borrowed from the bookstore. It was The Return of the King, the third of J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful books.<p>

"Hello! I'm home." She called out in her musical voice, and Mark looked up with a smile, pushing up his glasses,

"Hi there, I was going to start dinner, how does mac and cheese sound?" he asked, after all the many times he'd come home to her cooking, this was a pleasant change of pace. She was now among the careered, and he was the domestic one, at least on the weekends.

"That sounds wonderful, let me just go clean up and I'll come help." She said, walking swiftly towards her room, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm,

"Now now, you go rest, let me do all the cooking. You've had a hard day, they keep you too long at the bookstore." He said gently, not knowing that her reason for being late wasn't at all because of work.

In the last month she'd managed to find a cute little car for her personal use, after having taken the test and gotten licensed several months previous. He always worried for her when she went out by herself, but it was all a process, and he needed to stop thinking of her as a fragile doll. She was quite capable.

Later that evening, she was lounging in the living room, as he had insisted on doing the dishes, and her mind was swirling with excuses, she couldn't not tell him she'd been real estate shopping, but she also couldn't just leave without a goodbye.

Mark meticulously washed and rinsed their dinner dishes, but was also watching Jamie out of the corner of his eye, she seemed to be deep in thought, laying on the couch with her feet crossed and up on the armrest, so that all the blood was rushing to her head, 'Perhaps it helps with deep thinking,' he thought to himself. He finished up and walked over to her,

"Penny for your thoughts?" he said quietly, and she looked at him, from her upside down position, and smiled,

"Haven't you heard? Prices have gone up." She sat up and turned to him,

"I went house shopping today." She said in a sad voice. Babydoll hadn't quite meant to blurt it out, but when she saw his face give her that typical look, and she knew she couldn't hide it from him.

His face fell before he could stop it. "That's…great. I mean, I would have been happy to help you, but I understand that you needed to do it on your own."

Babydoll could see it had hurt him. And it had been difficult doing it; she had known he'd have wanted to accompany her.

He reached out his hand, and she took it, he set his other hand on top,

"It is the next step, and I'm glad you took the initiative to do it, you didn't need my permission or anything, so don't worry about anything."

She in turn put her other hand on top of his, sandwiching his much broader hand between hers, and she stood,

"I know it is, but it doesn't have to be goodbye, if…you were to ask, I wouldn't have to-"

'What was she saying?' Mark's mind raced, as Jamie gazed up at him, her brown eyes wide with something approaching hope.

"Ask? Ask what? I don't think it would be possible." He said quietly, and looked away from her eyes, for he knew she would see the truth in them if he wasn't careful.

She stepped closer, reaching up to pull off his glasses, and she whispered,

"Ask me to stay." And suddenly she was kissing him, and everything left Marks mind, except the fact that Jamie, his Babydoll was kissing him.

It was impossibly sweet, and both seemed to express all the bottled up feelings that had been building for the past months. Babydoll was still shocked at herself, but she melted into the kiss, and felt her knees growing weak, Mark swiftly picked her up and carried her to his room, he broke away to look at her, she blushed,

"Are you sure?" he asked, hoping against hope she wouldn't back out now, he wasn't sure if he could bear it if she did.

She nodded, and he quickly reached his room, carefully kicking the door shut behind him.

He set her down on the bed gently, and resumed kissing her, and her hands began working their way through his hair, and down his neck, to loosen his tie and unbutton his collar.

She wove her fingers around the tie, and swiftly pulled it off him. He in turn began unzipping her dress, marveling at her impossibly smooth skin. She sighed against his mouth, this felt so familiar, yet dizzyingly new and perfect.

Babydoll carefully pushed off his shirt, and ran her hands across his back, he shivered under her touch, and began kissing across her cheek, and gently scattered kisses down her neck, suckling a sensitive spot where her neck met her collarbone.

She was trying to focus, and savor each sensation, but a fire was building in her stomach and she felt like she needed him to speed up, to reach that place that desperately ached for his touch. He slowly worked off her dress, and pulled back to gaze at her. She truly was lovely, her pale skin let off a glow, and her breasts seemed to call out to him to be worshipped, and he leaned down to capture the dusky nub and kissed it, kneading the other, and she let out a sigh, pulling his head closer to her chest.

The sensations coursing through Babydoll's body were unparalleled by anything she'd ever imagined. And she had imagined Mark possibly doing many wicked things to her, but they had nothing on the reality of his intoxicating kisses on her lips, neck and now her chest. She felt the fire growing, and tugged at his hair, pulling him back to her mouth, as he slipped off his pants, and tugged her underwear off. He looked in her eyes, and she stared back with a steady gaze. He reached down to touch her, and she gasped into his mouth. Far from relieving the ache, he merely stoked the fire, and he carefully guided his length to her warm center. He sheathed himself into her, and she felt the ache grow, then a slight twinge of pain as he broke past her virginity.

She began to move with him, to try and ease the ache of fire, which only seemed to grow as he started moving in and out, he carefully held her shoulders, and kissed her tenderly.

He felt himself beginning to reach his climax, and she also seemed to be letting out little pants and with a grip to his wrist, she felt herself fall over the edge, as waves of pleasure swept through her. He let go and followed her over the edge, holding her close to him, and felt her shudder and clench around him.

He pulled out and moved off of her, and Babydoll felt as if all her bones had turned to mush, she smiled, and Mark could see a fine sheen of sweat covering her face, which he leaned over to kiss.

"That was lovely. And I hope this means I can stay." She said, and he smiled, and brushed a stray platinum strand from her face.

"Of course you can stay. And I would be honored if you would."

"I couldn't imagine leaving honestly, you are the kindest man I've ever met, and I want to spend my life being taken care of by you. I think I've fallen in love with you. Perhaps even since that day you saved me from a fate worse than death." She said quietly, and he felt like his heart would melt.

'She was in love with me?' he thought to himself, and he reached over to hold her hand, and pulled her toward him,

"I love you as well, these last few months have been out of a dream, you're so kind to me, and I don't know how I could live without you either."

He turned and opened a drawer in the bedside table, pulling a box he'd been keeping there for three weeks now, it held her birthday present, it was a pair of earrings, gold surrounding a diamond on each,

He sat up looked at her carefully, "I was going to give it to you at your dinner, so many days ago, but I forgot it here, and it's just been off my mind, but now, I think it would mean something different. I would like you to stay, and maybe someday, become something more." He opened the small box, and she gasped, they were lovely, and she felt a tear escape,

"Yes, of course I'll stay." She kissed him, and he held her close.

She had agreed to be his, and he couldn't have been happier.

* * *

><p><em>The End<em>

_A/N: thanks for reading! This was a fun story for me to write, I hope you enjoyed it. R/R as always! :)_


End file.
